It has been over a week since a 50-year-old father of two disappeared after he was struck down on exiting a taxi at Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and his family is demanding answers.
In an interview with Stabroek News yesterday, Reonol Williams’ sister, Sylvie Williams said that the family believes that Reonol is dead. However, she said they are desperately pleading for answers so that they can have closure.
Sylvie explained that Reonol called ‘Ram’ was struck down by motor car, PAB 2552 at Enmore Estate Road, ECD during the wee hours of May 23.
He was accompanied by a friend, Davis Peters, who witnessed the accident. At the time, Williams was returning home after dropping off his younger sister in Georgetown.
As time passed and Reonol did not return home, Sylvie said she assumed he had been delayed by the heavy rain.
“I had sent my brother to drop off my smaller sibling….It was raining that night so he could not have come back on time. He waited until the rain stop falling. Rain continued pouring, so he waited and waited until he no longer wanted to wait. So he took a car to the East Coast park, waited for a bus but there was no bus for them to come home with so they hired another car to come to Enmore and that was what dropped them off,” Sylvie explained.
Shortly after, she said Peters rushed to her home and informed her that Reonol was involved in an accident and that he had died.
As a result, Sylvie said she rushed to the scene. However, by the time she arrived, she said Reonol’s body had already been removed. His belongings including his bag and footwear along with fragments of the car licence registration number were seen on the road.
Sylvie said the eyewitness related to her that Reonol was picked up by the driver of the vehicle, who reportedly claimed he was taking him to seek medical attention.
“According to the eyewitness…all he could have said when we come out here (scene) was that the driver of the car that struck him down, put him into the back part of the car….All he could have heard was that they taking him to the hospital…to Melanie Hospital (health centre),” Sylvie said.
“The eyewitness did not see what happen after then because he had to run over to my side (of the road) to inform me what had taken place,” she added.
Reonol’s family has not seen him since and numerous searches were futile. “After he was struck down, I started to look for him. Onto now I can’t find his body. I fear he is dead but where is his body? We don’t know,” Sylvie cried.
She said they checked all the city hospitals and mortuaries but there was no record of Reonol. “We checked all out and I didn’t find nothing,” Sylvie said.
The day after the accident, Sylvie told Stabroek News that the police recovered the vehicle which struck down Williams at Haslington, ECD.
Up to yesterday afternoon, there was no word from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) on the incident.
Contacted yesterday afternoon, Police Commander of Region 4C, Khali Pareshram confirmed with Stabroek News that an investigation is ongoing.
“First of all we are working very closely with the police legal advisor based on the fact that the victim cannot be located at this time….We have sought initial advice and we were given some other indications on areas to further investigate and in the new week, we will be seeking further legal advice,” Pareshram said.
He also confirmed that the owner of the vehicle was arrested by the police and later released on bail.
Pareshram added that efforts are currently being made to identify and locate the individual who was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.
Vigil
Family members and friends of Williams on Wednesday night held a candle light vigil along the Enmore Public Road in their quest for justice.
They carried placards which read “Justice for Reonol Williams”, “We need justice now”, “Is there a cover up?” and “Where is Reonol Williams?”
Sylvie told reporters that since the accident she has been searching for her brother. “I haven’t been doing much. I was just searching through the road corners, through trenches….I was trying to enquire if anyone saw the suspected car but to no avail,” she said.
She is pleading with anyone who might have seen what happened and/or assisted in moving the body to come forward and provide any information so that she can find her brother.
“My wish was that if I had seen the person (driver) on the accident scene or at the hospital, my wish was to tell him that okay it was an accident, I know you struck him….It was not intentional and I forgive you for what you did. That was what was going through my mind but now that I have not found my brother’s body, it has gone to another level that in my mind I am saying am I going to forgive him if I see him? Of course I will….but come out with my brother’s body. If you are fearful still say through somebody where the body is,” Sylvie told reporters on Wednesday night.
The woman told Stabroek News that during the initial stage of the investigation, the police were very helpful. However, she said she has not been provided with any update as of recent.
“What I want to ask the police force and anybody in the system is that we are all Guyanese…I call on the politicians, I call on the police force, I call on any organisation….to put their foot forward in order to help the citizens because too many of times I hear cries of families of victims calling for justice but I have never heard anybody at the policy level … actually talking about addressing such issues within the country….We are citizens of Guyana and we should we protected, we should be served the way we should,” Sylvie asserted.
Reonol hails from Paramakatoi Village, Region Eight. He moved to Region Four some time ago to earn a living.
He is described as a very jovial, helpful and hardworking individual.
